23 gardens
Free gardens to visit in the UK
You do not have to pay to see a great garden. These gardens have no charge to walk in, though some ask for donations or charge for parking, glasshouses or special events.
London
All gardens in London-
Free entry Horniman Museum and Gardens
Horniman Museum Gardens
Forest Hill, Greater London
Sixteen free acres on a south London hillside, with views across the city, a Victorian conservatory, bandstand, themed gardens and a ticketed Butterfly House.
Free; Butterfly House, Aquarium and some exhibitions are ticketed (Butterfly House adults £9.90, or £11 with Gift Aid)
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Free entry The Royal Parks
Isabella Plantation, Richmond Park
Richmond, Greater London
A free 40 acre woodland garden inside Richmond Park, famous for its evergreen azaleas around ponds and streams in late April and early May, with autumn acers and winter heathers.
Free; parking in Richmond Park is also free
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Free entry Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Kyoto Garden, Holland Park
Kensington, Greater London
A tranquil Japanese garden in Holland Park, given by the Kyoto Chamber of Commerce in 1991, with a tiered waterfall, koi pond, stone lanterns and maples that colour well in autumn.
Free
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Free entry The Royal Parks
Queen Mary's Gardens, The Regent's Park
Marylebone, Greater London
Free gardens in The Regent's Park holding London's largest collection of roses, around 8,000 plants in 85 single-variety beds, with seasonal borders, shrubberies and an ornamental lake.
Free
South East England
All gardens in South East England-
Free entry The Crown Estate
The Valley Gardens, Windsor Great Park
Virginia Water, Surrey
A free, 250-acre woodland garden on the slopes above Virginia Water, begun in the 1940s by Eric Savill and known for its rhododendrons, azaleas and the Punch Bowl.
Free entry; car parks in Windsor Great Park charge from £3.20 for up to an hour to £16 for four hours or more
South West England
All gardens in South West England-
Free entry Bath and North East Somerset Council
Bath Botanical Gardens
Bath, Somerset
A free botanical garden in the corner of Bath's Royal Victoria Park, known for plants grown on limestone, with a rock garden and pool, herbaceous border, old roses and the Great Dell woodland garden.
Free
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Free entry Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council
Mount Edgcumbe Formal Gardens
Cremyll, Cornwall
Free 18th and 19th century formal gardens in Italian, French and English styles at the Cremyll end of Mount Edgcumbe Country Park, looking across Plymouth Sound, with later New Zealand and American gardens.
Free entry to the country park and formal gardens; house and Earl's Garden paid (adults £14 in 2026); pay and display parking
East of England
All gardens in East of England-
Free entry Ipswich Borough Council
Christchurch Park and Mansion, Ipswich
Ipswich, Suffolk
Ipswich's first public park, around the Tudor Christchurch Mansion, with an arboretum, more than 4,000 trees, centuries-old oaks and ponds full of birdlife.
Free; Christchurch Mansion museum is also free to enter
The Midlands
All gardens in The Midlands-
Free entry Warwick District Council
Jephson Gardens
Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
A free, formal Victorian park in the centre of Leamington Spa, with seasonal bedding, a tropical glasshouse, around 140 species of tree and a riverside setting.
Free
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Free entry Nottingham City Council
Nottingham Arboretum
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
Nottingham's oldest public park, opened in 1852 just north of the city centre, with a collection of more than 800 trees, some planted in the 19th century, plus a bandstand and aviary.
Free
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Free entry High Peak Borough Council (operated by Parkwood)
Pavilion Gardens, Buxton
Buxton, Derbyshire
Buxton's free Victorian pleasure gardens, laid out by Edward Milner in 1871 along the River Wye, with lakes, a conservatory of tropical plants, a bandstand and family attractions.
Free entry to the gardens, conservatory and main building; charges for the miniature train, boating lake and events; pay and display car park
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Free entry University of Leicester
University of Leicester Botanic Garden
Oadby, Leicester, Leicestershire
A free 16-acre university botanic garden in Oadby, made from four Edwardian gardens, with four glasshouses, rock and water gardens, borders and sculptures.
Free, except on some special event days
North of England
All gardens in North of England-
Free entry Newcastle City Council
Jesmond Dene
Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
A free wooded dene along the River Ouseburn in Newcastle, landscaped by William Armstrong in the 19th century with waterfalls and exotic trees, with a visitor centre, café and Pets Corner.
Free
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Free entry Liverpool City Council; run by the Sefton Park Palm House Preservation Trust (charity)
Sefton Park Palm House
Liverpool, Merseyside
A free Victorian palm house in Liverpool's Sefton Park, opened in 1896, saved by a public campaign and restored in 2001, with plants arranged by continent and statues of famous botanists and explorers.
Free; donations welcome
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Free entry Sheffield City Council, with the Sheffield Botanical Gardens Trust and the Friends of the Botanical Gardens
Sheffield Botanical Gardens
Sheffield, South Yorkshire
A free Victorian botanical garden a mile and a half from Sheffield city centre, with listed glass pavilions, a rare bear pit, a rose garden and naturalistic prairie-style planting.
Free
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Free entry Sheffield City Council
Sheffield Winter Garden
Sheffield, South Yorkshire
A large timber-framed glasshouse in the heart of Sheffield, free to enter and open into the evening, holding thousands of plants from around the world next to the Millennium Gallery.
Free
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Free entry North Yorkshire Council, with the Friends of Valley Gardens
Valley Gardens, Harrogate
Harrogate, North Yorkshire
A free Grade II listed park in Low Harrogate, laid out on the old spa wells of Bogs Field, with a 1930s Sun Pavilion and Colonnade, a Japanese garden and a woodland walk to RHS Harlow Carr.
Free; small charges for some games such as crazy golf and tennis
Scotland
All gardens in Scotland-
Free entry Glasgow City Council
Glasgow Botanic Gardens
Glasgow, City of Glasgow
Free botanic garden on Great Western Road in Glasgow's West End, best known for the domed Kibble Palace with its tree ferns and the Main Range glasshouses of orchids and begonias.
Free, including the Kibble Palace and Main Range glasshouses
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Free entry City of Edinburgh Council
Princes Street Gardens
Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
Free public gardens in the heart of Edinburgh, laid out where the Nor Loch once lay below the castle, with the 1903 floral clock, the cast-iron Ross Fountain and the Scott Monument.
Free
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Free entry Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
Free-to-enter botanic garden a mile north of Edinburgh city centre, with a famous Rock Garden, city skyline views and the restored Victorian Palm Houses, reopened in October 2026.
Free entry to the garden; Palm Houses adults £4.95 (£5.50 with voluntary donation), concessions 65+ £4.20, children 5 to 15 free with a ticket
Wales
All gardens in Wales-
Free entry Cardiff Council
Bute Park
Cardiff, Cardiff
Free historic park behind Cardiff Castle, once the Bute family's private grounds, with an arboretum of more than 3,000 catalogued trees, champion trees, herbaceous borders and walks beside the River Taff.
Free
Northern Ireland
All gardens in Northern Ireland-
Free entry Belfast City Council
Botanic Gardens Belfast
Belfast, County Antrim
Free public park in Belfast, founded in 1828, with the Palm House begun in 1839, the Tropical Ravine of 1889, a rose garden, alpine garden and mature trees.
Free, including the Palm House and Tropical Ravine
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Free entry Belfast City Council
Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park
Belfast, County Antrim
Free 128-acre park on Belfast's Upper Malone Road, home to the City of Belfast International Rose Garden and its July Rose Week, a Japanese-style garden, a walled garden and woodland trails.
Free
Free gardens at a glance
Every free entry garden in this guide. Follow the link to each guide for opening times and sources.
| Garden | County | Entry | Price | Run by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horniman Museum Gardens | Greater London | Free entry | Free; Butterfly House, Aquarium and some exhibitions are ticketed (Butterfly House adults £9.90, or £11 with Gift Aid) | Horniman Museum and Gardens |
| Isabella Plantation, Richmond Park | Greater London | Free entry | Free; parking in Richmond Park is also free | The Royal Parks |
| Kyoto Garden, Holland Park | Greater London | Free entry | Free | Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea |
| Queen Mary's Gardens, The Regent's Park | Greater London | Free entry | Free | The Royal Parks |
| The Valley Gardens, Windsor Great Park | Surrey | Free entry | Free entry; car parks in Windsor Great Park charge from £3.20 for up to an hour to £16 for four hours or more | The Crown Estate |
| Bath Botanical Gardens | Somerset | Free entry | Free | Bath and North East Somerset Council |
| Mount Edgcumbe Formal Gardens | Cornwall | Free entry | Free entry to the country park and formal gardens; house and Earl's Garden paid (adults £14 in 2026); pay and display parking | Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council |
| Christchurch Park and Mansion, Ipswich | Suffolk | Free entry | Free; Christchurch Mansion museum is also free to enter | Ipswich Borough Council |
| Jephson Gardens | Warwickshire | Free entry | Free | Warwick District Council |
| Nottingham Arboretum | Nottinghamshire | Free entry | Free | Nottingham City Council |
| Pavilion Gardens, Buxton | Derbyshire | Free entry | Free entry to the gardens, conservatory and main building; charges for the miniature train, boating lake and events; pay and display car park | High Peak Borough Council (operated by Parkwood) |
| University of Leicester Botanic Garden | Leicestershire | Free entry | Free, except on some special event days | University of Leicester |
| Jesmond Dene | Tyne and Wear | Free entry | Free | Newcastle City Council |
| Sefton Park Palm House | Merseyside | Free entry | Free; donations welcome | Liverpool City Council; run by the Sefton Park Palm House Preservation Trust (charity) |
| Sheffield Botanical Gardens | South Yorkshire | Free entry | Free | Sheffield City Council, with the Sheffield Botanical Gardens Trust and the Friends of the Botanical Gardens |
| Sheffield Winter Garden | South Yorkshire | Free entry | Free | Sheffield City Council |
| Valley Gardens, Harrogate | North Yorkshire | Free entry | Free; small charges for some games such as crazy golf and tennis | North Yorkshire Council, with the Friends of Valley Gardens |
| Glasgow Botanic Gardens | City of Glasgow | Free entry | Free, including the Kibble Palace and Main Range glasshouses | Glasgow City Council |
| Princes Street Gardens | City of Edinburgh | Free entry | Free | City of Edinburgh Council |
| Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh | City of Edinburgh | Free entry | Free entry to the garden; Palm Houses adults £4.95 (£5.50 with voluntary donation), concessions 65+ £4.20, children 5 to 15 free with a ticket | Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh |
| Bute Park | Cardiff | Free entry | Free | Cardiff Council |
| Botanic Gardens Belfast | County Antrim | Free entry | Free, including the Palm House and Tropical Ravine | Belfast City Council |
| Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park | County Antrim | Free entry | Free | Belfast City Council |
Looking for something else? See paid entry gardens